Byodo-In Temple on Oahu in Hawaii

It was raining very hard on the day we visited the Byodo-In Temple on Oahu.  Still, we had a very enjoyable time.

This is a non-practicing Buddhist Temple which is open and welcoming to all faiths.  It was established in 1968 to commemorate the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants to Hawaii.  The Temple is a 1/2 scale replica of one in Japan.

On your way to the Temple, you are first drawn to a 3 ton peace bell.  There is a stick attached to the rope, inviting you to ring it.  It produces a pleasant, soft droning sound.

You then make your way to the actual temple, where there is an 18 foot tall Buddha statue.  You can see it pretty well from outside of the doors.  You do need to remove your shoes before walking in if you choose to.  There was someone there constantly mopping the floor.

The entire area is attractive.  There are gardens and koi ponds.

There was a very pleasant lady selling necklaces made of volcano rock/ash.  She did let us know that she made them from pieces from Oregon and Washington, as many in the area are superstitious about Hawaiian volcano rocks off of the island.  They were nice and we ended up buying a couple.

The temple was a very pleasant stop on our trip.